The recent election of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote have belied dominant predictions based on a long-held view that sees the occasional electoral victories of xenophobic and extreme right-wing movements in Western countries as mere bumps in a journey leading to a liberal, cosmopolitan world. However, the popular vote in two of the most advanced democracies in the world, along with the rise of racist demagogues in several European states seem to signal a worrying and growing success of populist ideologies resting on racism and anti-globalism, political authoritarianism and social conservatism. And an equally worrying shift towards “illiberal democracy”, i.e. a type of regime where democratically elected leaders enact legislations that suspend or limit civil liberties, press freedom or the independence of courts.

In June 2016, fifteen years after the adoption of the United Nations Programme of Action on small arms (PoA), States gathered once more to assess progress achieved in the prevention and eradication of the illicit trade in small arms. Following the entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty in 2014, the adoption in 2015 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, 2016 will have been a year of transition and small steps forward for the United Nations small arms process. Not to mention the upcoming Third Review Conference of the PoA in 2018.

This paper analyzes the reform of the armed forces in Burkina Faso, two years after the collapse of the Blaise Compaoré regime. The reform is a continuation of the democratic change brought about by the October 2014 revolution. The stability of the new government headed by President Roch Kaboré and the need to respond to the terrorist threat are the main issues and challenges. Despite the changes recorded, the reform is still limited in its scope, because it doesn’t yet address the defense paradigm of the country.